


Hell is Empty (And The Devils Are Dead)

by NiiSanNinjaSensei



Series: All The World's a Trial [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gangster!Gabriel, Gen, Growing Up, MANY WARNINGS, Mentions of Racism, Prologue, dark themes, warnings in notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-18 17:53:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16123706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiiSanNinjaSensei/pseuds/NiiSanNinjaSensei
Summary: Gabriel Reyes' life plan consisted of becoming the most fearsome gangster in his neighbourhood, not becoming the father of a girl whose parents he murdered.





	1. What's Present is Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to divide Sombra's story into a few parts because it really didn't flow as a one-shot :)  
> I'm also currently working on Jack's story, the sequel to Death is Blind would probably only come out in 2019
> 
> Warnings:: Mentions of racism... or actual racism, I don't know. but. racism.

Shaking fingers trailed over hardened skin, the touch almost alien. The skin felt dead, and it was, yet Gabriel couldn’t help but bite his lip and squeeze his eyes close as he realised he can’t _feel_. _His face is dead._

“Gabi?”

The young man turned to see his mother in the doorway, eyes just as haunted as his. She slowly walked over to him, trying to understand what he was going through.

“The doctors did what they could Gabi, be happy that you’re _alive._ ”

He didn’t argue against her, only held her close and kissed her forehead as he fought back tears. He knew the doctors tried, but they couldn’t fix him – the Reyes family didn’t have the money for it. He wanted to be angry at the doctors, at his family, at his father… but he knew he did this to himself.

“The little girl, we found her again, she was sleeping by her parents.”

He couldn’t stop the tears.

“Aren’t they-”

“Dead… yes Gabi, she’s all alone now. Nicole is giving her a bath now, she’s covered in bad things.”

Gabriel only continued to hold his mother, not ready to face one of the many victims of his actions.

… … …

She’s been hiding underneath the table for two whole days, or rather one and a half. The first time Gabriel saw her, she was crying and screaming if anyone neared her, even when his _abuela_ tried to comfort her. He had no idea why his family decided to bring her in, if this was punishment for what he has done.

He decided to leave the house instead, but it didn’t make anything better. Everything was still in ruins, the streets were littered with random bodies, houses were charred, cars ruined, and too many fluids spilled onto the pavements. A few people were cleaning up, faces hardened as they dragged away the bodies of their friends.

He was alive. His family was alive. And for what?

He decided to take the back routes, avoiding all human contact in search for peace. Taking a shadowed path, Gabriel spotted a familiar face. A man a few years younger than stood in his front lawn, frowning at his small garden which was ruined by small pieces of rubble. He bent down and plucked a withered tomato, sighing at the state it was in and carelessly dropped it into the ruined soil.

Taking another detour, Gabriel decided to head towards the man.

“Hey Toni.”

The man tried his best to smile, yet recent events even weighed heavily onto the ever optimistic man.

“I see your fruits finally grew.”

“Yes, but I guess even they felt a bit stressed.”

Gabriel tried to not let the guilt gnaw at him. Toni wiped his hands off onto his trousers and directed his pitiful smile towards Gabriel.

“I’m going into the city in a few minutes, anything I can get you?”

“Uh, yeah, hold on.”

Gabriel dug around in his pockets until he felt the small slip of paper, unknown words scribbled over it. He handed he over to Toni who only raised his eyebrows.

“Medicine huh? That bad?”

“Third degree, don’t feel anything though.”

And once again the guilt came back, here he was still not _feeling_ , while everyone else was suffering even more.

“Oh and uh, I need something else too.”

… … …

Nicole sat near the girl, telling her many fairy tales and probably hoping to get a smile from the girl. But he was dead to the world. The girl sat in a foetal position and only stared straight ahead at nothing. Sometimes she would mutter for her parents, and it broke Gabriel’s heart to see the girl scream when he accidentally let the door shut.

“Gabi-”

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare her.”

Nicole wasn’t angry at him, but he could see the instant worry on her face as she tried to comfort the girl without touching her. Taking slow steps towards the kitchen, Gabriel slowly unpacked the bags Toni brought back from his trip. One bag only held one item yet weighed almost nothing. Deciding this as his chance to try and make things right, Gabriel took hold of the gift and walked back to the girl who was now reduced to only sobs instead of screams.

He could see Nicole wanting to ask him what he was up to, but he ignored his sister in favour of bending down and holding out a much scarred hand out to the girl.

“My name is Gabriel Reyes, you can also call me Gabi.”

The girl went quiet, one eye peeking over her arm to stare at him. He took a silent breath and held out his gift to her, ignoring the heat in his face as he realised what a sight he must have been. Still recovering from partial skin grafting, eyes almost as bloodshot as hell, and holding out the fluffiest bear Toni managed to find.

“This is for you.”

She didn’t say anything, didn’t even reach to take a hold of it, but Gabriel knew better than to force the gift onto her. Instead he placed it down and left the room to go sort through his medication. Everyone left the girl alone for the rest of the day, yet Gabriel still managed to see her sleeping soundly for the first time she was brought into their home, skinny arms wrapped protectively around the bear.

… … …

The girl never told them her name, so the family started off calling her Sombra behind her back as a joke, yet the girl still managed to overhear it and took a scary attachment to the name. She didn’t hide as much under the table anymore, instead she seemed to disappear for hours on end until the sun descended and Sombra crawled back underneath the table.

Nicole did build a small bed for her, yet Sombra refused to leave the safety of the table, so they provided her with everything she needed by placing it near her and having the girl sort herself out.

Gabriel didn’t try and speak to her again, not able to look into the face of a girl whose life he had ruined because of his own young impulses. He was sure the girl hated him, having figured out who he was. She might not know him as the man who grabbed her and shielded her from a nearby explosion, but she would know him as Reaper who ruined everyone.

It has been just over a month when Sombra finally spoke to Gabriel. It came unexpectantly, and at a time Gabriel would not have preferred.

It was late, and he was hunched over on his bed; sweat clinging uncomfortably to his skin, the sheets constricting around him, heart pumping, lungs heaving and eyes staring blankly at his scarred hands. His mind kept replaying the night, all the sounds and sights, the feel of blood and brain matter charred onto his skin as fire bit harshly into him.

He could feel the tears dripping on his hands, his breaths turning into sobs, and soon enough Gabriel had to grab his hair and tear into his lip to prevent his screams from waking up the world. His throat trembled with the caged sounds, his neck aching as his finger tore into his scalp.

It was overwhelming, it was too much, he should’ve died that night, he deserved it, but then it was too easy, then everyone else would have been left with the pain while he lounged happily in the afterlife-

Gabriel’s eyes shot open and he instantly reached for his gun underneath his pillow when a hand touched his side. He was close to pulling the trigger as the metal pressed against skin, yet a rapid blink of his eyes revealed big and unafraid eyes staring at him.

Sombra.

Letting out a frightened curse, Gabriel dropped his gun and pushed himself away with trembling limbs. He almost killed a child, _a fucking child._

Sombra on the other hand seemed calm, and only continued to stare at him. He was about to scream at her in fear when she finally spoke up.

“You’re hurt too.”

Gabriel had to control his voice before he could speak up again, swallowing down his scream.

“It was… it was a bad night.”

She only nodded and clumsily crawled onto his bed and over to him, all the while Gabriel continued to watch the child with fearful confusion. She didn’t near him, instead she crawled underneath the blanket over the space he previously occupied.

He realised she had her teddy clutched in her arms. After a few seconds he deemed it safe enough to once again get underneath the covers. Turning his back to the girl, Gabriel stared at his wall as he listened to her steady breaths, slowly lulling him back to sleep.

He didn’t dream again.

… … …

“Gabi you need to talk to her-”

“I know, I know! But she won’t _listen-_ ”

“If you’re going to make sure she’s being raised _right-_ ”

“I’m so happy you care about my wellbeing.”

Both Gabriel and Maria went quiet as they regarded the pre-teen. She looked normal enough, brown hair in a braid trailing down her back, simple shorts and a t-shirt and some of the most expensive shoes Gabriel was forced to buy for her.

It was her _face._ No one could easily miss the glint in her eye, the evil that lurked within her soul. Gabriel hated preteens, teens, or actually anyone who wasn’t old enough to drink. They disregarded everyone around them to indulge in their own selfish acts… Gabriel really hated them.

Sombra was no exception, they continuously got calls from her school complaining about the fights she got into, and the family had to take turns to go speak with the principle as many of those days Gabriel was in some random bed healing after a stupid injury.

For some reason Sombra kept acting up more and more as the days passed, and got suspended the day after Gabriel was bedridden for almost a week because of some local gang fight. He locked himself up in his room to rest, and Isabella would sometimes come into his room with a strange sullen expression to explain that not even Nicole could get Sombra to do her homework.

She was a mystery, and Maria was scared the girl was slowly ruining her own life.

As the silence dragged on with Sombra’s sudden appearance, Gabriel went to say something but she cut him off with a quick glare.

“Don’t you dare, you don’t even know half of the shit that happens – you’re always hurt or gone, so don’t you dare lecture me about something _you know nothing about!_ ”

With those final words Sombra stormed out of the house.

“ _Mama-_ ”

“I think this isn’t about the fights Gabi… We keep finding her at the old house…”

With a resigned sigh, Gabriel grabbed a thin jacket and made to follow Sombra. It was already almost night, and Sombra was still suspended so it wasn’t that big of an issue for her being out so late… still, Reaper didn’t have enough control yet to ensure his family won’t be attacked.

_Family… is Sombra my family?_

He did manage to find her in the ruins of her old house, the Reyes family having discovered her real identity yet sticking to what she felt comfortable with. Sombra’s previous house was in a part of the town where no dared to go again, leaving the few houses which received the brunt of the attack as a small personal memorial.

Gabriel found her by listening to the quiet sobs echoing the in ruins, finding the poor girl pressed into a corner where a charred double bed sat. Her parents’ room.

She must have known Gabriel was there, but she refused to acknowledge him even as he sat in front of her, picking at the dead skin on his neck.

“Sombra… what’s going on?”

She didn’t respond at first, only glaring at the floor with tear still running down her cheeks. It’s been a long time since he saw her cry, and he realised that all those hours she’s gone from the house she spends crying at the one place she could truly call home… her real home…

“You still miss them?”

She nodded.

“Is that why you’re causing fights?”

She shook her head.

“Talk to me.”

She pushed her head into her arms and mumbled something.

“Say what?”

“Bul-llies…”

_Ah. Shit._ Gabriel suddenly felt out of his element, knowing he couldn’t instruct her to just hit them hard enough to make them stop… seeing as it wasn’t working as it is. Instead the man shifted his legs and resisted to sigh. What was he supposed to say?

“Why are they bullying you?”

He didn’t expect a finger to be pointed at him.

“Me?”

“They s-say bad th-things…”

“Take a breath.”

And she did; one shuddering breath later Sombra managed to tell Gabriel everything he needed to know. Never did he feel such anger;

It started a year ago and small, at first kids were bullying her for her name, then about how she was living with the Reyes family (Those unaware assuming the worst of the family) and even spread rumours of how Sombra worked as a prostitute at night because of where he came from. The rumours got worse, the stories escalating to the point where some kids from the town even said that Gabriel slept with everyone’s mothers as he was constantly in their houses.

The guilt didn’t stop; when would he ever stop ruining this girl’s life?

“Sombra-”

“And they won’t believe me…”

“I can go talk to the principle-”

“No… she doesn’t believe that you’re my dad…”

Gabriel’s world stopped. Without a word he bent forward and wrapped the girl into his arms, holding her close until he could feel her heart beating against his. It’s true he never expected to ruin his town, never expected to become a father… but he was dammed it he wouldn’t sacrifice his life for this girl.

For his family.

****


	2. This thing of darkness I acknowledge ours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...
> 
> WARNINGS:: Mentions of underage sex, mentions of recreational drug use, insensitive use of rapist, fucking dark ass themes.
> 
> I think this is the darkest thing I have ever written. It had to be done.

Sombra was fine. The Reyes family took her in, they tried to send her to school, and ultimately now they try and support any of her decisions as long as she was happy. She only confessed to Gabriel that she felt a part of the family, yet she had a suspicion the others weren't too far behind. Gabriel was always the slow one of the Reyes family.

It was the others who rushed into the school like the overprotective mothers they were and got her out even before Gabriel could calculate his actions to do so himself. Sombra didn’t mind as much, because now she had more time to spend with the man she called dad.

Whenever he was out doing the dirty work, she was at home messing around with any electronics she could get her hands on. Her obsession came over her sneaking one late night into the living room and watching the most badass sci-fi movie she has ever seen, she wanted to create gadgets just like that. Even better. Sombra never knew her tinkering would enable her to help Gabriel as he went out to kill people.

Two years later and at the unstable age of fifteen, Sombra was gathering information on all of Reaper’s enemies and giving them to Gabriel for his own advantage. It was also how she met a rather interesting guy who taught her everything she had to know.

She didn’t think much of it at first, only someone willing to help a newbie in return for an everlasting friendship. She didn’t miss the way he would flirt with her, in fact she almost encouraged him to do so. Her relationship with him was a secret, something she had to herself without the influence of the Reyes family.

She felt alive.

It was a week after they traded more personal information when things started to change. He asked for her real name, and she imply answered with ‘Sombra Reyes’, to which the guy went quiet for two days before sending her various links and articles.

Barely two hours later she and Gabriel were screaming at each until their throats bled.

“What the fuck are you going on about!?”

“Don’t pull that on me you fucking liar!”

“I never lied to you!”

“No! You lied to the whole fucking town! Do they know? Do they know how much you fucked everyone over?”

The rest of the Reyes family gave up on intervening, instead watched with realisation what this was about. Sombra found out about Gabriel, about that night.

Gabriel growled and restrained himself from assaulting the girl, she could see it, could see his muscles flexing as he fought against his anger. Too bad, she was much angrier.

“You’re not only a fucking liar and murderer! You’re a fucking rapist!”

“I didn’t rape anyone you bitch!”

“Why the fuck else would they come here? It’s your fault! You did this! You couldn’t keep your fucking dick in your pants and you killed my parents!”

Sombra was beyond caring, was beyond tears and sadness as the realisation of the whole situation came into play.

“And I was stupid enough to believe you’re a good man… that I could call you dad-”

“-Sombra-”

“No. Fuck you. _Fuck you._ ”

She prayed that he would burn in hell.

… … …

Sombra doesn’t remember much of the time she was away, or for how long, influenced by alcohol, drugs and sex, and beyond caring for the world around her.

After she ran away from the man who ruined her life, she ran straight into the arms of the only man who showed any interest in her. He was old enough to give her what she wanted, old enough to introduce her to buzzed life of pleasurable alcohol and all the various stages of sex.

Nothing could compare to what she experienced on a daily basis, always ready and willing to please. They didn’t love each other, only using each other to pass time yet it worked for them. She remembers his sister complaining about how she was too young for such things, which only fuelled her more to prove everyone else wrong.

She didn’t need parents, she didn’t need a home, and she didn’t need anyone’s approval. Sombra was free, and this man was her key to the unknown world.

It was one night when he came back with a baggie filled with white powder when Sombra started to doubt her life. She wasn’t stupid, she knew what it was, and although she dabbled in lesser drugs she wasn’t sure if she was ready for such a leap.

He didn’t force her into it, at least she didn’t believe so, but Sombra realised too late that she dwelled into something she wasn’t prepared for.

… … …

Sombra woke up to the sound of screaming. At first she merely lifted her head at the sounds, trying to understand if they were truly there when a gunshot rung through her ears. Yelling in shock, she shot up and tumbled to the cold floor as she tried to process what was happening.

She tried to convince herself it wasn’t real, recalling all the times he told her how safe they there. It couldn’t be real, couldn’t be real, not real, not real, not real-

“Sombra…”

She paused in her actions of crawling around the floor in confusion, paused because a voice she thought she would never hear again spoke her name. It wasn’t real, it was the drugs. Of course it was, it always was – it wasn’t REAL!

The arms around her waist felt too real, and she realised it was real. It was real.

“No! Let me go! Let me go!”

The arms only tightened and she cringed at the wetness seeping through her shirt, realising her tormenter was crying. _He didn’t deserve those tears!_

“Let me go!”

“Sombra… I’m so sorry…”

“Fuck off!”

She might not remember much from the time she was gone, but it was hard to forget the sight of her lover’s brain and blood splattered against the wall. Just like her parents.

Why did he always have to ruin her life?

_… … …_

She’s only been back with the Reyes family for two weeks and already she wanted to die. She discovered she’s been gone for just over a year, and yet nothing has changed in the town she once called home. People were still dying, Reaper was still killing, and she was still without someone to love.

It was after Gabriel washed himself clean to confront Sombra that all hell once again broke loose.

“Sombra-”

“No. Nope. No. No. No. No.”

“Sombra, please let me explain-”

“No! No! No! No!”

“SOMBRA-”

“LET ME GO! I DON’T WANNA BE HERE! I WAS FINE! I WAS FINE! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!”

She couldn’t forgive him. He killed her parents, killed her lover, killed her one way ticket to freedom. Freedom. Fuck. Fuck. Freedom.

“Lemme go, I need to go-”

A hand tightened around her arm and she knew she couldn’t break free, but fucking hell if she wouldn’t at least try. She whipped around and viciously clawed at the hand holding her, sinking her nails deep enough to draw a scream from the hand yet his grip only grew stronger.

“You fucking bitch! Don’t you understand?”

“I do! I do! I know what a rapist you are! Rapist! Murderer! Liar! FUCKING LET GO!”

“I DIDN’T RAPE ANYONE! WHO THE FUCK TOLD YOU THAT!”

Her body went slack for a moment, comprehending the words before she stiffed up again.

“It’s everywhere, the news… the internet, the news… everyone knows! Everyone know!”

Gabriel forcefully pushed her against a wall, hands pinning her down as she kicked and screamed, blood dripping to the floor as the two continued to fight. That is when he went silent and suddenly let her go.

At first she didn’t understand why, didn’t understand why he suddenly had to take two steps back before turning around to face her.

“You’re ruining your life Sombra… you ruined it… fucking hell…”

“No, you ruined it.”

It was only after she felt something shatter against her face, after voices screamed and hands touched her blood that she realised what truly happened.

She told him everything, told him every single sin she committed while he wasn’t there to protect her.

But the damage was done, and the two of them would never be the same again.

_… … …_

They didn’t speak to each other again for another four years, unable to look each other in the eye. Gabriel was barely home anymore, instead Reaper took over most of the time and Sombra found Nicole and Isabella crying themselves to sleep as they mourned the loss of their brother.

She didn’t understand and she didn’t care. She might be living with Reyes family, but she knew she ruined all chances of being a part of them ever again. Maria tried sometimes, giving her a few tips and tricks and taking care of her when all the others wouldn’t it.

It was Maria who realised Sombra became addicted, and who took Sombra to various clinics for many things. Sombra knew the family didn’t have the money for this, and accepted each negative result with much gratitude as she tried to understand why the woman even cared.

In those years did Sombra truly understand what she has done to herself, and although she wanted to blame Gabriel so much for it, she knew deep down he wasn’t the one who told her to lose her virginity without a thought, or to experience hangovers almost every second day and to delve into things no teenager ever should.

The only reminder she has of those decisions is the ever present scar on her head, covered up with shameful hairdos until she had no choice but to wear a hat as people kept pestering her about it. She was ashamed.

It when Sombra realised that life isn’t always fair, that they truly lost Gabriel to Reaper for good. It happened suddenly, the family seated around a silent dinner as they all avoided each others’ gazes. Sombra was seated next to Maria, and Gabriel next to Isabella when the man suddenly shot up and tackled his sister to the floor.

The family screamed in surprise and went almost paralysed when they realised he was strangling her. They tried to pry him away, hit him, threaten him, yet Isabella’s struggling only continued to turn more and more frantic. It was Sombra who ran into Gabriel’s room to retrieve his gun and promptly shoot him in his shoulder – with a barely calculated aim and only managed to scrape half of the target at worst – when Gabriel let go and watched his sister scramble from underneath him.

The house was silent save for Isabella’s crying.

“Gabi-”

“It wasn’t me…”

“Gabe it’s okay=”

“It wasn’t me! I don’t hurt my family!”

“Can you ever do anything right?”

The whole family turned to Sombra with bated breath. Gabriel kept his gaze to the floor, before standing up and locking himself in his room.

Sombra might have caused her own ruin, but Reaper will always be a catalyst.

_… … …_

Another year passed, and things never got better. Reaper was still about, and whenever he entered a room everyone else left. They realised what was happening to Gabriel wasn’t healthy, that whatever he was doing to himself was soon going to hurt others.

And during all that time Sombra still wanted him to pay for everything he has done. She was only ever at the house to eat before disappearing once again, befriending all of Reaper’s enemies to only rub it in his face whenever she saw him.

He never spoke to her, only growled and left before returning with more blood on his hands. For a while Sombra wondered if Gabriel and Reaper truly were two different people, if maybe the man has pushed himself past the point of being a normal human and blamed it onto a fake name.

It was the same question that repeated in her mind whenever she passed his room to hear him crying and banging his head against the wall. She ignored him, just like she did once again to the rest of the world.

Sombra should have seen it coming, considering she was raised by a man who continuously repeats his mistakes. It happened again, like all those years ago. A man noticed her, an enemy of Reaper. It excited her.

At first she believed _she_ was the one who seduced him, yet the constant need to be around him registered too late in her mind as manipulation. His name was Nico, and he was the direct rival of the Reaper and truly everything Sombra wanted.

He hated the Reaper just as much as she did, and he wanted revenge for what happened that evening. She asked him why it happened, and he refused to tell her yet she was fine with it, she already knew the truth.

The two became inseparable, yet Nico refused for her to stay with him more than two nights in a row. At first it made her angry, but he explained it was all part of the plan. A plan she was unaware of, but accepted.

No one was suspicious of her activities, only checking up on her to ensure she wasn’t caught up in addiction again. At least that was one thing she truly never wanted to repeat.

“Nico?”

“Yes?”

“Do you love me?”

The man merely smiled and trailed his fingers deftly across her skin, peppering kisses to her naked shoulder. She enjoyed nights like this, where she felt loved.

“Do you want me to love you?”

And it was such a strange question, yet she didn’t know the answer to it. So she didn’t reply, and he didn’t care. It was only after a round of loveless passion that Sombra once again spoke up.

“Why do you want to kill him?”

“Because he ruined the town.”

“You don’t live there… why does it matter to you?”

“Because he stole what was ours.”

And she didn’t want to know more, she didn’t want to hate the man anymore than she already does. She was almost tired of hating him, yet still too furious to forgive him. if ever.

“What are you thinking about?”

“If he really deserves to die…”

Because that was the truth. Reaper was wicked and a monster… yet Gabriel… Gabriel saved her when she was a child… he…

“Do you know Gabriel Reyes?”

“Reaper?”

“No, Gabriel Reyes. They aren’t the same.”

And at first Nico didn’t answer her, only raised an eyebrow at her words before laughing.

“They’re both the same man, don’t fool yourself.”

“Were you two ever friends?”

“No, but I knew his father.”

And that was the first time she realised Gabriel had a father, a thought that never crossed her mind. His father.

“Are they alike?”

“No, his father was worse.”

And that was all Sombra was allowed to ask before Nico captured her lips once again.

… … …

She wondered how she always got herself into these situations, why it was always her against the world. She refused to cry as her body ached in the dark room, and she refused to scream as pain throbbed throughout her body with every small movement.

She could do this, she was strong… she could…

She could finally understand how Gabriel managed to split his mind. If this was how to deal with his life, then she could hardly blame him. Her thoughts of the man only brought her back to then entire situation; Nico was getting tired of her defence against Reaper, and took it upon himself to teach her respect.

Two weeks of hell and she was sure a lung was punctured too. She expected the man to do worse, to degrade himself low enough to be compared to Reaper, yet the only pain he inflicted upon her was for physical harm only.

She knew her absence would be noticed, and she knew Maria would be the first to respond. They were probably searching for her, probably worried sick… wondering if she once again ran off to ruin her life.

It was the first time in a long time that Sombra allowed herself to cry again. She wasted so many years of her life hating, fighting, screaming. She could’ve done so much more… she could have been the daughter her parents never got to raise.

She realised it might have been too late, too late to achieve the one thing she so desperately needed in life. Love. And when she was younger she thought she had it, she truly did… but she felt so betrayed when she read everything Gabriel has done before that night, all the people he hurt.

She felt so alone.

… … …

“This is all your fucking fault!”

Sombra barely had the time to hiss in pain when Nico yanked her upright, sneering in disgust as blood stained his hands. At first she had no idea what was happening, but the shouting outside made her realise that _Los Muertos_ was too active and it probably meant a fight.

She grunted as Nico finally dragged her out of the room and into the small house where she could see everyone running around outside. She spotted a dark figure effortlessly moving between the horde, and she had no idea if it was fear of happiness that erupted inside of her.

Nico continued to drag her until they were outside and she realised too late why he even had her here when cold metal pressed against her head. _Bargaining chip… fuck._

She was smart enough to keep quiet as the man calmly stepped forward towards where bodies were quickly dropping, the previous tall figure in the middle and noticeably slowing down in his killing spree.

“Stop.”

All at once the firing guns seized, the few remaining member gratefully stepping back as Reaper struggled to keep himself standing. Sombra couldn’t miss his already dark clothes turning darker.

“Sombra-”

“You have no right to speak to her.”

Reaper growled and raised his weapons at Nico, although he was also smart enough to understand what was happening.

“ _What do you want Nico?_ ”

“My town back, for you to die, maybe even keep your precious girl here. She’s a lot of fun really.”

Reaper growled again, yet refused to lower his guns.

“ _Let her go._ ”

“That would mean I surrender. Kill yourself and I promise she would be safe.”

Sombra jerked in surprise. _Kill himself?_ She thought Nico was joking, but he knew better than to believe the man had any sense of humour. _Kill himself._

“Nico don’t-”

“Shuddap.”

Sombra bit her lip. She wasn’t in control of this situation.

“ _You’re a sick bastard Nico._ ”

“Same goes to you.”

“ _Why would she matter to me?_ ”

“Because you came for her didn’t you?”

And the two men were once again silent. Sombra willed her body to not tremble, but the gun was too close and Nico’s mouth hovered next to her ear. She was scared. She was going to die. This was her fault, of course Reaper wouldn’t sacrifice himself for her-

“You promise she would be safe?”

Nico stiffened along with Sombra as Reaper… no… Gabriel, as Gabriel pressed his own weapon to his head, the other lowering.

“As safe as I can keep her.”

“You’re a terrible liar.”

_Bang._

… … …

“Thank you.”

Gabriel only grunted as she accidentally leaned into his side, her own legs barley able to function as the two struggled to walk back home. Home.

“ _Mama_ would’ve killed me if I didn’t bring you back.”

“No, _thank you._ You saved me that night… you took me in… you saved me from so many things, and all I did was assume the worst of you… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

They stopped as Sombra was unable to contain her tears, her hatred turned to nothing but guilt. Arms wrapped around her and gently pressed her against a solid and warm chest. She missed this, she missed the man she used to think of as a father.

She missed Gabriel so much.

“It’s okay… I never made you believe otherwise.”

“Then please… please tell me everything, I want to forgive you so badly…”

And he did. He told her about his father, of how he had to take care of his family since he was fourteen, of how he made the mistake of seducing the son of the chief of police only to have the homophobic bastard try to gun him down and justifying it as not only Gabriel having underwent a raping spree, but then continued to wreck havoc onto his own town as well.

He spoke about Reaper, about how he created someone to take the blame. And he confessed with ugly sobs that there truly was never a difference, that everything he has done was as Gabriel Reyes. And it tore him apart.

“I don’t believe that.”

“What?”

“Gabriel Reyes is my father, and Reaper is our protector.”

“Sombra…”

“Ï promise I won’t do it again, I’m so sorry dad… I promise I will be there for you.”

“Me too _mija…_ me too.”

And those words would have comforted her, but those strong arms turned into weaker ones. And those ugly sobs turned into screams.

Soon enough Sombra was crying with the only man who loved her father as much as she did, and once again she could only blame herself for causing Gabriel Reyes' ruin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this concludes Sombra's past, and some aspects as what shaped both her and Gabriel, Sure it might not be pretty, but hey, some people actually had legit fucked up lives. And we have to accept that.
> 
> I do take requests on [tumblr](https://niisanscroll.tumblr.com/)  
> And I spill too much tea, so now I have to drink [Ko-Fi](https://ko-fi.com/A0A8NXY2)
> 
> That was lame   
> Kill me


End file.
